Midnight Vandalism in Downtown Los Angeles Sparks Police Response

Los Angeles, CA – Dozens of people gathered at Washington Boulevard and Maple Avenue at midnight Sunday, prompting a large police response. The motivations for the gathering remain unclear, but many attendees appeared to be celebrating, dressed in party attire like pink platform heels and cat ears, as captured in video footage from OnScene.TV.

A man was seen drinking from a jug filled with a flammable liquid before spitting it onto a torch, igniting flames above the crowd. Simultaneously, a helicopter circled the area as another participant climbed a light pole to record the chaotic scene.

Attention turned to an A Line train that had stopped along Washington Boulevard. Reports began coming in at 12:12 a.m. that five people had entered a train car and were vandalizing it, said Officer Kevin Terzes, an LAPD spokesperson. Video footage shows members of the crowd spray-painting the train and banging on its windows.

By 12:19 a.m., the LAPD received further reports of disruptive behavior on another train nearby at Washington Boulevard and Trinity Street. Despite the chaotic situation, Officer Terzes confirmed that no arrests were made in connection with these incidents.

In addition to the train vandalism, some individuals were seen spray-painting businesses including a Panda Express and a Waba Grill. As police arrived, they faced verbal harassment from some in the crowd, who posed for selfies next to a spray-painted police cruiser and threw fireworks at police as they retreated.

Metro spokesperson Jose Ubaldo reported that train services were delayed for about 20 minutes due to approximately 50 individuals blocking the train tracks at Washington Boulevard and Maple Avenue. Fortunately, no passengers or Metro employees reported injuries related to the events, although extensive damage was done to the trains.

Ubaldo urged anyone with information about the incident to contact the LAPD at (800) 222-8477.